Sabtu, 26 November 2011

washing hands (mencuci tangan)


WASHING HANDS
I.                    INTODUCTION
All people (adults, children and babies) are at risk of getting illnesses caused by germs found in every place everywhere. Many germs are spread from person to person simply by touching (i.e. germs on hands after touching a piece of equipment or a sick child).
Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers especially should wash their hands before and after each patient they see. It is policy that should be a must in Hospital to practice hand hygiene and for staff to inform visitors to perform hand hygiene. All parents, patients and caregivers may ask staff members "Have you washed your hands?"

II.                  DEFINITION OF WASHING HANDS
Hand washing for hand hygiene is the act of cleansing the hands with or without the use of water or another liquid, or with the use of soap, for the purpose of removing soil, dirt, and/or microorganisms.
Medical hand hygiene pertains to the hygiene practices related to the administration of medicine and medical care that prevents or minimizes disease and the spreading of disease. The main medical purpose of washing hands is to cleanse the hands of pathogens (including bacteria or viruses) and chemicals which can cause personal harm or disease. This is especially important for people who handle food or work in the medical field, but it is also an important practice for the general public. People can become infected with respiratory illnesses such as influenza or the common cold, for example, if they don't wash their hands before touching their eyes, nose or mouth. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated: "It is well-documented that one of the most important measures for preventing the spread of pathogens is effective hand washing." As a general rule, handwashing protects people poorly or not at all from droplet- and airborne diseases, such as measles, chickenpox, influenza, and tuberculosis. It protects best against diseases transmitted through fecal-oral routes (such as many forms of stomach flu) and direct physical contact (such as impetigo).
In addition to hand washing with soap and water, the use of alcohol gels is an effective form of killing some kinds of pathogens.
In symbolic hand washing, using water only to wash hands is a part of ritual handwashing as a feature of many religions, including Bahá'í Faith, Hinduism and tevilah and netilat yadayim in Judaism. Similar to these are the practices of Lavabo in Christianity, Wudu in Islam and Misogi in Shintō


III.                BENEFIT OF WASHIN HANDS
Throughout our daily life we made contact with almost everything around us, people, animal, walls, tables, seats, doorknobs, telephone, etc. No one can guarantee that the entire thing we touch with our hands during our daily life is free of germs. In fact, those things are actually a huge source of a large variety of germ. You will finally infect yourself when you use your hands to touch your ear, mouth, nose, or eyes. Besides that, during our life we will touch many things, one to another. So this is why you should wash your hand frequently enough. Not only to protect you from the germs, but also to avoid spreading those germs to another place or another people.
Some infectious diseases usually spread from one person to another through hand-to-hand contact. Those diseases include common cold, influenza, and diarrhea. While common cold will relieve for a couple of days, influenza and diarrhea can cause a bigger medical problem. Some people with chronic medical problem can develop pneumonia form influenza. Babies and little kid can suffer from dehydration caused by diarrhea. Even in some developing countries those two illnesses, pneumonia and diarrhea, are still part of the common cause of death.
Poor hand hygiene will also contribute to food related illnesses. It’s including salmonella infection that can cause typhoid, E. coli infection that can cause abdominal problems, and hepatitis A virus infection. All of it will surely bring a serious problem to your health.
So we see how much problem that we can actually avoid only by applying a simple measurement like hand washing. Then why don’t we make it as our habit, since it only takes a few times yet bring a huge advantage. Wash your hands with soap and warm water, or simply use a hand sanitizer to make it even easier.

IV.               WHEN TO WASH HANDS
Before:     
·         Entering a ward
·         You eat/prepare food      
·         Breastfeeding
·         Feeding a child           
·         Giving medication to a child
·         Touching/cuddling/holding a sick child     
After
·         Changing a nappy
·         Helping a child use the toilet
·         Using the toilet yourself 
·         Wiping your nose or your child's nose
·         Touching/cuddling/holding your child
·         After you use the bathroom
·         Your hands are dirty









V.                 HOW TO WASH HANDS
http://www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/kidsinfo/washing_hands.jpg







VI.               SUMMARY
o   Washing hands are the simplest yet effective way to prevent many germs entering the body through touching or any activity that uses hands.
o    Washing hands are very important especially for medical staff to prevent harmful germs or disease
o   It is recommended to wash hand using a soap to kill germs and dry the hands so that the hands always stay clean

VII.             REFERENCES
Kids Health, Why Do I Need to Wash My Hands, October 2010
The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Hand Hygiene, November 2010
Wikipedia, Washing Hands.

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What are germs?
There are many different types of germs, such as viruses or bacteria. Germs can make people sick. You can get germs on your hands when you touch objects and when you touch other people. Once germs are on your hands, they can get inside your body through a wound or when you touch your eyes, nose of mouth. You can also spread germs on your hands to objects or people that you touch. The most common infections are spread through touching.
How can we stop the spread of germs?
Washing your hands and your children's hands is the best  to stop the spread of germs. There are also antiseptic 'gels' that you can rub into your hands to stop the spread of infections in the hospital. You will find these gels in the wards and around the hospital. The Equipment Distribution Centre also stocks hand gels for purchase.

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